Paris

Francophiles and fashion fans, let us introduce you to style savant Morgane Sézalory, the founder of Paris-based clothing label Sézane. (Enchanté.) From humble beginnings as an online vintage-clothing destination, Sézalory’s brand of French boho vibes has made the aesthetic globally accessible—now the world wants to dress in the casually cool Gallic styles she and her team design. To wit, her feminine blouses, day-to-night dresses and sleek pants can sell out within moments of appearing online.

In five years, Sézalory has built an international brand based on her fashion instincts. We spoke with her about getting dressed, going out (as you can imagine, her suggestions are très chic) and working hard in the French capital.

Not everyone conducting fashion business this week in Paris is a Parisian. Designers and brands from European and Asian cities make Paris their home base during Fashion Week; it’s a simple matter of critical mass—everyone’s here.

Tokyo-based designers Miki Aizawa and Aimi Fukumoto of the embellished-denim and killer trench coat line Tu es mon TRÉSORvisit the City of Light this time of year, although they don’t hold a runway show or even a formal presentation. They meet with buyers and editors, and they hang out and catch inspiration in cafés and city streets.

And they eat beautiful meals. It’s Paris; that’s part of what you do here, after all. We asked if they had any favorite Japanese spots here, and they do—they also mentioned a few fun French/English joints and an upscale Thai restaurant, too. But it was the special of the house at Nodaiwa that we were most interested in.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, Olivia Kim will run your town. Her fitness-first dedication is admirable no matter what, but when you understand just how very, very much she travels, it’s downright humbling. Put it this way: when people ask her where she lives, she just sort of laughs. Yet no matter where she goes, she laces up her Nikes and moves.

While we’re all about that sneakers-with-skirts and sweats-with-ankle-boots life, there’s certainly something to be said for the straightforward and traditional use of trainers and leggings too. We also think it’s pretty much impossible not to be inspired by Olivia’s “Why I Run” feature on Nike.com and our images of the gang crossing the Seine in those chic swooshes.

On October 16, icon of all footwear icons Christian Louboutinis coming to Nordstrom’s downtown Seattle flagship headquarters; from there we’ll spend the next five days showing him around the Northwest, including a trip to Vancouver, BC. (And yes, we’ll definitely fill you in on all this in the days to come.)

All images by Jessa Carter

Needless to say, we’re more than a little excited for the visit—his first to our neck of the woods—but since we’re currently camped out in his city, we asked him to give us a short list of personal must-hit Paris spots.

One morning a few days back, someone heard us wishing aloud for a healthy, chic fueling station and suggested a Parisian juice cafe called Wild and the Moon. In lieu of making an actual note of it, I began following them on Instagram and promised myself to make time to follow up. By noon that day, the shop posted a picture of hands holding an aggressively healthy variation on lemonade and an orange liquid labeled “Instant Recovery.”

“FASHION WEEK ESSENTIALS,” the caption began. Now, we’re not roped in by all such claims, but this one felt real. We were outside the door within 24 hours.

“Oh no, we always stop for lunch,” she insisted, serious as a heart attack.

All images by Jessa Carter

It’s hard to explain just how much of a luxury that actually is. Most days are back-to-back-to-back, stacked with shows and appointments, but Olivia and her team avoid skipping the midday meal by putting lunch on the schedule every day—as if it were as important as meeting with a top designer. Because it is.

Her go-to cuisine in Paris? Not croissants, not sidewalk cafe fare, but Asian. On Thursday we put a spin on it by stopping in at a vegan joint in the Bastille neighborhood. Olivia had vegan sushi and gave us her download on the best spots for Korean, Vietnamese and more in the City of Light.

American designer Joseph Altuzarrais one of the most Parisian New Yorkers we know. He’s existed between the Big Apple and the City of Light for most of his life, and is equally comfortable in both cities—as we documented when we asked him to narrow in on the best things in each spot.

All images by Jessa Carter

So who better to turn to today as Paris Fashion Week begins. We asked Joseph to give us his three favorite neighborhoods—excusez-moi, arrondissements—and an Altuzarra look to go with each.

For lots of brands—particularly those in the emerging designer realm—the runway is no longer on the runway. More and more forward thinkers are walking away from the traditional conventions of Fashion Week and doing their own versions of theater, presentation, experience and the big reveal.

Scenes of Olivia Kim and the crew in Koché’s runway/alleyway during the fall shows in March.

The result felt something like the French version of a glamorous flash mob, with the pranksters dressed in patchwork velvet and bejeweled tomboy silhouettes. We’re lucky enough to have video footage of it—in anticipation of the next season of Paris Fashion Week. We’re sharing it here.

Usually one to put on a show, Karl Lagerfeld has moved on from his CHANEL airports, supermarkets and street cafés to a refreshingly subdued runway with simple white carpet and gold seating—c’est tout–at the Grand Palais.

Images: InDigital

For fall, the legendary designer reworked the brand’s classics. Multimedia boater hats, exaggerated pearl necklaces and camellia motifs–that ranged from large prints to heavily appliquéd cuffs–combined retro and trendy. The iconic CHANEL tweeds were saturated in neon berry hues, sometimes worked in with denim, and always paired with matching riding boots and caps. Standout pieces with sure street-style futures include the charming and ethereal, tiered ivory lace frocks in every length and the oversized pearl necklaces that accessorized the majority of looks.